


Back for Christmas

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Series: 25 days of ficmas [17]
Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Brodinsons, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Christmas Dinner, Gen, Loki isn't dead, Mentions of Death, Post Infinity War, loki is a bit of dick, not any more, post Endgame, they finally get that hug, usual christmas angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 02:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17034672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: When he crashes the Avengers’ Christmas dinner, Loki brings along a few of the stranger traditional foods from across the realms and reveals how he survived Thanos.





	Back for Christmas

Holidays at the Compound were weird.

After Thanos, the Avengers had disbanded and gone their own ways. Everyone needed time to heal their wounds and come to terms with everything which had been lost. It took time but they eventually rediscovered their places on Earth, signing the new Accords and settling into almost normal lives. Of course, the world still needed heroes but there were plenty of those going around these days. Most of the team had decided to step back and let someone else deal with the fate of the universe for once.

Retirement was absolutely what it was cracked up to be for the former heroes. However, every now and then, they found themselves missing the old days. Sure, being repeatedly shot at and losing everything that they held dear hadn’t been awesome - in fact, it had been decidedly not awesome - but being a part of a team and knowing that someone would always be there to have your back had certainly been a major reassurance amid the craziness of their lives. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t many people in the ‘real world’ to whom the ex-Avengers could to talk about fighting aliens or visiting other planets.

In short, while no one outright admitted it, they missed each other. It had, of course, been Tony that suggested they met up for a Christmas reunion dinner. That first year, all that had been served was Shawarma. No one was impressed by that. The second year, the Guardians had shown up and within ten minutes the entire Compound had been on fire. By the third year, rules had been created to ensure nothing like that ever happened again.

The gathering for all powered, ex superheroes also dropped its strictly Christmas theme. It seemed unfair to impose a purely Western tradition on the group when there were almost more aliens attending than humans. So, by year five, what had been created was a bizarre combination holiday, encompassing everything from Earth traditions like Christmas and Hanukkah and all the way to Kree and Groot festivities. It really quite the sight to behold.

Even with all of this madness to contend with, nothing quite prepared the team for the unexpected arrival of one certain god who had, for the last ten years, been quite dead. Loki strolled into the Compound, decked out in full ceremonial uniform, head held high with Gungnir in hand. He merely grinned when he was greeted with an entire array of weaponry. “Did you miss me?”

Met with hard stares all around, and the odd one of fear too, Loki said, “Why, you all look so surprised to see me. It’s hard not to take that personally.”

“You died,” Bruce said, pushing his way through the circle that had formed around the god. Tugging on his sleeves as he fought to soothe Hulk, who was all but ready to freak out and start smashing things, Bruce stepped forward to get a better look at the intruder. “This can’t be real. Thanos killed you.”

“He’s not the first and I’m sure he won’t be the last either.” Something flashed in Loki’s eyes, an emotion between fear and hatred which each and every Avenger had felt during the war for the Infinity Stones. Before anyone had the chance to console him, Loki’s guard shot back up and his trembling lip turned up into a smirk. “Rest assured that I mean you no harm. If that had been the case, none of you would still be standing.”

Tony stepped forward and angled his body protectively in front of Bruce’s, not entirely convinced by Loki’s words. His distinctive armour began to edge up his arm and cover his hand, preparing for the worst case scenario. “Why are you here, Reindeer Games?”

“To join the celebrations, of course. Surely you would not turn me away and out into the cold after everything we’ve been through.”

“Let him stay,” Carol said, making the decision for the group. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what made up her mind but there was something decidedly pathetic about Loki that she found quite charming. Either way, she knew she’d be able to take him if - and when - he tried to cause trouble.

Quill was the first to put away his weapon. He remembered how Thor had spoken of Loki and trusted the other Asgardian enough to accept his judgement that his brother wasn’t all bad. Narrowing his eyes at Rocket, who was definitely trying to work out a way to steal Loki’s horned helmet, Peter said, “I agree with Carol. Anyway, he’s bought food so it’s all good. You did bring food, right?”

“Naturally.”

“In that case, table’s through there and you can leave your spear thing at the door.”

“Gungnir,” Loki corrected, resting the golden spear against the wall and letting the illusion of his armour fade away to reveal a far less threatening outfit. Smirking as the rest of the gathering slowly put away their weapons, he followed them into the next room.

He had to admit that it was quite the impressive set up. The table was large enough to have been at home in the Great Hall of Asgard during one of the royal feasts and it was absolutely packed with dishes from around the universe. There were some that not even he recognised, which in itself brought a strange glee to his face. It was nice, he supposed, to be met with a surprise that wasn’t about to kill him.

A chair was pulled from somewhere and Loki was squashed between Carol and Drax. They entire gathering sat stiffly, each deciding whether they could beat Loki to the carving knife and use it as a weapon before he could, but within a whole two minutes the tension faded and conversations returned to normal. Plates were passed back and forth around the table. Chunks of bread and potato were thrown to anyone within range. Dr Strange even created portals to bring food from one end of the table to the other, claiming it to be “more civilised” but was really little more than an excuse to show off. 

Almost everyone ignored Loki’s presence, except the adolescent tree who sat opposite him. His twiggy fingers grew as he stretched out to reach for a plate of Kree vegetables, that no one other than he and Carol liked, as he asked, “I am Groot?”

“He said -”

“I know what he said,” Loki interrupted. Wishing to avoid being impaled by cutlery, he immediately apologised to Gamora for his lack of manners and quietly explained that, while Asgard was long gone, his ability to speak the all tongue had remained. That was quickly tested by everyone around the table saying something in their own natural language to see whether the god was speaking the truth. He was.

Turning his attention back to Groot, who was frowning harder with every second he was ignored, so used to being the centre of attention on the Milano, Loki answered, “My brother is off world, mediating some ridiculous dispute between what is left of Vanaheim and their nearest neighbour. I’m sure he sends his regards.”

“I am Groot.”

“Groot, I swear when we get back to the ship I am going to take that game away from you!” Quill hissed, shaking his head. “You know he was so busy playing that ridiculous thing that he forgot to tell us about the blue alarm last week? If I wasn’t such a good pilot, the Milano would have been blown to pieces.”

“You? A good pilot?” Rocket laughed so hard that he nearly fell off his high chair. “You know that it was me that got us out of that mess.”

“I am Groot,” the tree sighed. He bowed his head and began pushing peas around his plate, stabbing them with tiny splinters and flicking them at the pair as they argued.

Gamora rolled her eyes and whacked Quill in the shoulder. “Stop it. You’re upsetting him.” Her voice softening so much that everyone around the table momentarily forgot that she was one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy, Gamora smiled and said, “It’s okay, Groot. I won’t let them take your game.”

Groot’s expression brightened to no end, so much so that tiny daisies began sprouting from the top of his head. Turning his attention back to Loki, he repeated his request: “I am Groot.”

“I would promise to pass the challenge along to Thor - it certainly would be entertaining to watch you beat him at the game - but am quite certain you will see him before I.”

From across the table, Bruce frowned. Leaning forward to be heard over the noise, he asked, “You aren’t in contact with him? I thought that you and Thor had worked everything out after Sakaar? Before, well… You know. He does know that you are alive, right?”

Loki’s shoulders tightened and his gaze hardened enough to make Hulk nervously start pressing against Bruce’s mind. Taking a bite from an enormous turkey leg, Loki grimaced at the taste. Setting it aside, he said stiffly, “The opportunity to reveal that information never presented itself.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. For years after Thanos, he was convinced that you’d come back. He chased stories all around the universe trying to find you. You know that he would have welcomed you back at any time. He misses you.”

“Of course he does. I’m delightful.”

“Loki, I’m being serious.”

“As am I, Banner.” Sensing that Bruce was going to keep pushing, Loki conjured a small dagger and used it to stab the strange looking, orange fruit from Drax’s home world. Even though he lowered his voice it seemed to fill the entire hall, the whispered warning drowning out everyone else’s conversations. “Ten years may drag for you mere mortals but it is nothing on my life. I will seek out Thor when I am ready. I advise you to drop the matter now.”

Around the table, the warriors were drawing their weapons. Hands tightened around the hilt of swords. Fingers trembled on the triggers of pistols. The sorcerers called on their magic. Tony, for the first time in years, was twitching his fingers, ready to actually use his armour against someone else. Mantis was out of her seat and creeping - as subtle as a five year old trying to sneak cookies - round towards where Loki sat, ready to put him under. The air was electric with tension, everyone waiting for the moment that Loki finally lost his temper.

Expecting the worst, no one knew how to react when Loki flicked his wrist and summoned a few new plates to the table. Met with confused glares, the god was not fazed. He simply shrugged and said, “This is a feast, is it not? Consider these my peace offerings. I was not lying when I said I mean you all no harm, however difficult you make it to remain true to my word.”

“Are you sure this is food?” Sam asked, poking at a bowl of moving black slime with his spoon. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the liquid began crawling up the utensil and dropped his spoon into the bowl, too scared to go searching for it.

“Only the most delectable dishes from the far side of the universe where I have spent the past decade. Or would you refuse and slight entire planets based on the weakness of your stomachs?”

“My stomach is not weak!” Drax declared, grabbing a nearby plate of what looked - and smelled - like mouldy blue apples. Ignoring the warnings of literally everyone around the table, he downed everything on the plate. Never had anyone been so proud of eating apples before. However, less than five minutes later, he was fleeing the room clutching his gut and heading for the Milano outside (it being easier to find a familiar toilet than get lost in the Compound).

Quill buried his head in his hands and turned to Tony. “Hope you don’t mind us staying a few extra nights. It’s gonna take a while to air out the ship once he’s done in there.”

Tony smiled sympathetically and assured the Guardians that there would always be room for them in the Compound - although he did make a mental note to stick Drax near Bruce/Hulk’s quarters, as they were quite used to unusual and often highly unpleasant smells on that side of the building.

“Is any of this actually edible, Loki?” Natasha asked, staring cautiously at a slice of bright yellow meat - at least, she hoped it was meat, although the way it was wriggling like it had a mind of its own made her question that - hanging off her fork.

“Of course. The peoples on these planets consume this food daily.”

“Which planets would those be, exactly?” Gamora asked. She stretched her arm out to stop Groot from touching the bowl of black goop, shaking her head at the teenager. “Don’t eat that. It’s from Arkenalia, isn’t it?”

The corners of Loki’s mouth turned up in a smirk. Taking a bite of a vegetable with green and orange stripes, the god leant forward and let his smile grow. Head tilted ever so slightly to the side, he said, “Now, how would that be possible? Arkenalia was lost millennia ago.”

“Can someone tell me why Arkenalia is so bad? It sounds kinda friendly. Like it’s from a dodgy sci-fi film,” Peter said, his curiosity getting the better of him. Catching the way Tony was looking at him, the surge of protectiveness showing clearly on his face, Peter held his hands in the air and assured him, “I don’t wanna go. I’ve had enough of alien planets. Promise. But what is it?”

By his side, the other sulky teenager just shrugged. “I am Groot.”

“It’s a myth. A death planet,” Carol answered, recognising that Gamora had no intention of engaging Loki further. “Part of a system in the darkest region of the universe. Every planet there is practically uninhabitable and the civilisations that emerged there are commanders of death.”

“Let me guess,” Clint said to Loki, leaning so far back in his chair that a single inch more would definitely end with him falling flat on his ass. “You managed to find these planets and made some friends. Gonna bring them to visit us someday?”

“I didn’t seek them out.”

“But you did find them?”

Helping himself to the black gloopy soup, Loki drank from the bowl as if it weren’t horrifically poisonous. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and then used the table cloth to clean his skin, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the way the fabric immediately discoloured at his touch. Offering the bowl to Clint, Loki set is aside when the archer shook his head. “They found me.”

“They brought you back from the dead, didn’t they?” Bruce asked, already sure of the answer. “That’s where you’ve been for the past decade.”

“Better than being stuck on this miserable planet,” Loki countered.

“And on that cheery note…” Tony said as he pushed his chair away from the table. “Why don’t we move to the common room. It’s getting a little chilly in here and FRIDAY has made sure that Dum-E is kept away from the fire. The bar is fully stocked too.”

That final addition seemed enough to persuade everyone to leave the table. They huddled around the fire as the Peters argued over which film to watch. Blankets were passed around for people to huddle under, even though the room was wonderful and toasty. Everyone was squashed on to the sofas, a tight fit but comfortable enough.

All except Loki. He refused the offers for a seat and hovered at the back of the room, resting against the wall and watching the rest of the interactions without really seeing anything at all. His mind was elsewhere, far from the festive joys of the Compound. No one was quite brave enough to approach him, though.

However, less than ten minutes into the film, Bruce had a surge of courage - or perhaps his stupidity just got the better of him; he wasn’t certain either way. He whispered something to Tony and then managed to extricate himself from the tangle of limbs on the sofa to make his was over to the sullen god.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Bruce whispered, resting himself against the wall by Loki’s side.

“Not particularly.”

“That’s okay. You can just listen, then. Here, have some popcorn.” Bruce handed over the bowl and, although Loki turned his nose up at the sweet caramel treat, he devoured the contents a handful at a time.

Staring at the screen, hoping that it would help the god feel more comfortable, Bruce said, “We all went through shit, Loki. You more than most. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like to die. Again. I don’t want know, either. But you made it out. You are here and you should take advantage of that. I don’t mean try to take over the galaxy - we aren’t that retired - but you should find Thor. He’ll help you work through whatever darkness has a hold on your mind.”

“The mortal notion that the love of another can fix everything is pitiful.”

“He is all the family you’ve got left, Loki. He needs you too.”

“That isn’t true. He has all of New Asgard. The Avengers. My presence in his life is an unnecessary hindrance. If the opposite had been true, he would have found me out, rather than halfheartedly scouring the universe for my remains, and saved me from that living hell.”

Bruce frowned, the flashing lights of the big screen making his expression look all the more severe. “The Arkenalians… How long exactly were you with them?”

“Mere days at most. A scout found me walking the paths of Hel and offered me a deal. The details are unimportant. The creature dragged my essence back to this plane and they built me a new body. As soon as I was strong enough to stand, they sent me on my way. I have been wandering the universe, alone, ever since.”

“Hitch hiking across the galaxy?”

“Floating. In the cold depth of space.” Loki’s gaze flickered over to Bruce long enough to catch the look of abject horror on his face. He shook head, neither wanting nor needing to be felt sorry for. “You may spare me your sympathy. This body is made of death. I needn’t breathe, eat or sleep. It is eternal and adapts whichever planet I find myself on so I need never face the harsh reality of dying again. I may live forever now, passing from one world to the next. Moving on whenever I get bored. What more could I want?”

The answer fell from Bruce’s lips almost immediately. “Company. Life is only worth living because of the people around you, Loki. Why do you think we do this every year? We tried going at it alone and it was awful. After all we’ve been through, we couldn’t just let go. The bonds we share make it easier to accept.”

“Accept what?”

“That we all die. No one knows it better than us. We saw it. We watched as half the universe burned. The only reason we can carry on after that is because we have each other. You can’t lock yourself away forever. If you don’t say what needs to be said now, you might wake up tomorrow and realise that it is too late. You and I… Everyone here… We made that mistake once before. You’ve been given another chance, though. You don’t have to make the same mistakes again. ”

“Sentiment,” the god scoffed, although the single word overflowed with sadness more than anything else.

Bruce took back the empty bowl and gently patted Loki on the shoulder. “Just think about it. If you really are immortal now, these regrets aren’t something you want to carry around for the rest of eternity. Reach out to him before the time comes when you no longer have the opportunity to do so. Enjoy the rest of the film.”

The movie played on, then another, and another, before Loki finally moved. While the others - those few who were still awake, at least - were busy arguing about which movie to watch next, Loki silently walked over to the sofa where Bruce, Rhodey and Tony were huddled and hovered awkwardly by the armrest. Without a word, the men shuffled over until Tony was practically in Rhodey’s lap and made a space for the god.

For some reason, Bruce had expected Loki’s to feel cold but instead he was like a walking radiator. Even so, the scientist draped his own blanket over Loki’s legs and balanced the freshly refilled bowl of popcorn on their legs. He waited until the next film to begin before quietly asking, “Did you think about what I said?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“I suppose there is merit to your suggestion. Thor is my family. It may finally be time for him to know the truth.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Loki.”

Before Loki could question Bruce’s curious tone, there was a bright flash of lightening outside the window. Thunder crashed so loudly that it shook the Compound - and yet, everyone who was asleep remained comfortably in their dream worlds. The rain pounded against the enormous windows, the storm outside raging until suddenly there was silence.

“Banner, my friend! I just received your message. What is so urgent as to take pull me from my work on Vanaheim?” Thor’s voice boomed from the doorway, making everyone jump. The team whipped their heads around to face the god but Thor’s attention was square on only one person. The one he’d thought he would never see again.

Stormbreaker hit the ground with a thud. The axe left an enormous dent in the floor but Thor didn’t care. He took a few tentative steps towards where Loki now stood, disbelief plastered over his face. No matter how many times he blinked or told himself that this couldn’t be real, Loki remained standing in front of him. Thor lifted his hand and gently grabbed him by the neck, a strangled cry escaping his lips. “Loki? Is it really you?”

Loki’s voice shook, trapped somewhere between absolute relief at seeing Thor alive and well and fear over how he would react. They didn’t exactly have the best track record for post-death reunions, which was half the reason why he’d been putting this off for so long. Feeling a surge of bravery as he recalled Bruce’s words to him, Loki rested his forehead against Thor’s and whispered, “It’s me, brother.”

Thor threw his arms around Loki and pulled him into the tightest bear hug, clinging to him in fear that he might disappear should he ever let go. Tears unabashedly fell from his eyes as he stroked his brother’s hair. He tried to speak but could not form the words. He was so overcome with happiness that there was no language in the universe capable of expressing his feelings better than his actions, anyway.

Loki recovered from the shock and threw his arms around Thor’s neck too. The younger brother sniffled, trying in vain to hold back his own tears. There was so much to say - and both knew that it would not be an easy conversation to have - but now was not the time. Right now, all that mattered was that they were back together, the bond between family stronger than ever before.

When they finally broke apart, Loki muttered, “I’m glad to see you, Thor.”

“And I you, brother.”

With the promise to continue their conversation somewhere more private later on, Thor pulled Loki in for another hug before crossing the room to greet the Guardians. Loki retook his seat beside Bruce and said softly, “Thank you, Banner.”

Taking a handful of popcorn, Bruce smiled at the god. “Merry Christmas, Loki.”


End file.
